hey there

hi, i'm krysta and welcome to my blog... evil chef mom. if you want to know how i came up with such a ridiculous name for a blog click here. anyways... this is a sometimes blog. sometimes it's about food, sometimes it's about crazy ludicrous things that seem to only happen to me, sometimes it's about family. i post about whatever pops into my addled wacked out adhd brain [oh hey! look it's a squirrel!]. if you want to join the crazy train... hop aboard and keep reading. don't say i never warned you!

11/5/13

I honestly haven't missed it because I really, I mean I REALLY detest writing. Writing is a struggle for me. I can't seem to find consistency, should I be funny or serious, quiet or loud? Point me in a direction and I will go, go, go but every time I approach the keyboard I automatically tense up and my brain comes to an abrupt halt right up against my skull. Writer's concussion? Is that a thing? Is it more serious than writer's block? Hypochondria for writers? Everything I'd like to write about flees my brain the very instant I touch the keyboard and questioning myself drives me batshit crazy to the point of wanting to knock down my monitor and saying I am outta here! And yet... I have come back. I know it's very much like exercising, the more I write the easier it gets but like exercising, I hate it, damn it.

Ready for a bumpy segue? If I was in shape I could weave this post together in a few fluid, witty paragraphs but yeah, that's not happening.

Anyways, these beans... well, this recipe was like how I feel about writing. A pain in the ass. (That's your warning)

I made this recipe over and over again. I was like Goldilocks,

These beans are too hard
These beans aren't seasoned enough
Oh, these beans are just right

When I finally got this recipe down cold it was and still is a head scratching, "how in the hell did that happen?" magic. (That's your incentive for making them. Magic. Cooking Magic.)

Really all these beans do is simmer in some chicken stock and their own juices and they taste like nothing you could ever imagine. Beans in their own juices sounds kinda disgusting, I know but trust me when I say this is a warm comforting dish for autumn and it's magical when done correctly.

Place beans and everything else, except toppings, in a heavy duty sauce pan and cover with chicken stock so that the waterline is about 3 inches over the beans. Bring the beans to a boil over high heat, and then decrease the heat to medium. You might have to skim some foam from the top of the beans. Discard that nasty foam.

This is important!!!! Simmer, not boil, but don’t under-simmer either or this recipe won’t work.

Simmer, adding stock or water to keep the waterline two to three inches above the beans for the next 2-4 hours. Stirring occasionally to keep the beans from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

Stop adding water after 2-3 hours of cooking or when the beans are tender. At this point, the liquid will be cloudy and milky and start to thicken from the starch of the beans. You’ll want the stock to slowly reduce until just covering the beans until perfectly tender. This is also tricky because sometime I have to add more stock and am constantly adjusting temperature and stock levels. I like this dish a little more broth-y so adjust to your taste.

Adjust seasoning and slowly add salt. (You’ll need more than you think) Remove bay leaves, onion, garlic cloves, and jalapeno from the pot.

Ladle the beans and broth into each bowl and top with cheese, avocado, onions, cilantro, chiles, and sour cream.

9
comments:

I jumped and hollered when I saw your post in my FB newsfeed! Welcome back sister! I must try those beans immediately - we need all the warm comfort we can get with the darkness creeping up sooner and sooner here in Seattle.

I always wondered what happened to you! I always enjoyed your blog and it was one of the very first ones I ever started reading.

Welcome back and I would say if you don't like writing don't do it, but since you said it's like exercise then it sounds as though it is something that is in your heart to do, just like keeping in shape is in our hearts and good for our soul and our health but hard as hell to stick with.

Good luck and I look forward to reading more of your posts.

As to this frijole recipe...at what point do we add the garlic/jalapeno, etc? At the beginning?